


in sickness and in health

by kurapikachuu (temariya)



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dark, Doctor Leorio Paladiknight, Drugs, Food, Illnesses, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Trauma, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Obsession, Obsessive Behavior, Pain, Painkillers, Poisoning, Possessive Behavior, Sickfic, Unethical Medicine, Unhealthy Relationships, Yandere, Yandere Leorio Paladiknight, no beta we die like men, triggering content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:22:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28925028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/temariya/pseuds/kurapikachuu
Summary: After falling ill, Kurapika feels terrible. Lucky for him, his doctor boyfriend is always happy to make him feel better.Or - a leopika ‘sickfic’ in a sense lmao
Relationships: Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Kudos: 36





	in sickness and in health

**Author's Note:**

> _i had to google ‘what kind of drugs cause headaches’ and ‘what kind of drugs can you use to control people’, so @ fbi agent in my laptop, this is for an anime fic leave me alone_
> 
> _this fic is a bit dark, and it came about after an idea i had but i only knew of three anime characters that are doctors, and leopika was the only one i felt fit the roles. i might actually make a sakuino one, so if you like naruto and lesbians, keep an eye out, haha._
> 
> _anyway, this is only my third fic i've ever wrote, so if it's really bad, please forgive me this one time, haha. i do want to get better, though, so please leave any constructive criticisms you have!! i promise i'm trying here, so again, sorry if it's terrible. :(_
> 
> _also this does not follow proper quarantine rules jsyk_
> 
> _stay safe and enjoy the fic!! have a great day!! :D_

It should have been a normal gathering like any other.

Since quarantine hit, it was harder and harder to see people. Leorio liked to see his old friends from college, and Kurapika constantly got dragged along no matter the situation, so they went to small parties pretty often. No more than five or six people were ever there, and they were all medical practitioners in some sense of the word, so Kurapika was completely fine with following his boyfriend around despite the warnings. The parties were always dull and centered around whatever the hell doctors talked about anyway, so he mostly stayed the proper six feet away from people and caught up on celebrity gossip via Twitter.

This time, however, was different. One of Leorio’s more talkative colleagues sat beside Kurapika, and began to chat him up. While Kurapika wasn’t a chatterbox himself, he did want to make a good impression on his partner’s friends, so he talked back politely. After a few minutes of conversation, he found Leorio’s friend to actually be quite funny, and they shared a few quips and jokes back and forth. They talked for about thirty minutes, before the friend pulled out his phone and asked for Kurapika’s number. Right before he was going to recite it, Leorio grabbed his arm, and literally pulled him out of the conversation. The two left quickly after that.

The trip home was quiet. Leorio gripped the steering wheel tightly, and Kurapika stayed brooding on his phone, certain that he was to get a scolding as soon as they reached their shared apartment. Sure enough, as soon as they parked the car, Leorio was on him about ‘respecting each other’ and ‘boundaries’ and ‘when enough is enough’. It was enough to make Kurapika gag, and he shouted back the second they stepped foot into their home, not wanting to cause a scene like his idiotic boyfriend.

“I didn’t even want to go tonight!” yelled Kurapika, throwing his bag onto the sofa. He didn’t even bother taking off his shoes as he stormed inside. “ _You’re_ the one that dragged me out of the apartment to go party with your boring friends!”

Leorio was fuming just as much, and he crossed his arms with a retort of, “Oh, you didn’t seem to think that _your new best friend_ was so boring!”

“ _Sorry_ I tried to have a little fun at your snorefest,” spat Kurapika. “I didn’t know _you_ could do whatever you wanted, meanwhile _I_ couldn’t have a social life.”

Leorio sighed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers, his glasses riding up at the movement. “That’s… that’s not what I meant. It’s just… you seemed to like him a lot--”

“And what about it?!”

“He was _flirting_ with you! Couldn’t you tell?!”

At that, Kurapika rolled his eyes. This was the usual song and dance Leorio like to perform _every single time_ Kurapika talked to practically anyone. It absolutely irritated him how jealous Leorio got over anything - whether it was a smile to a barista, or a laugh with an old friend, or even his phone buzzing with a text, something about it set him off and he needed Kurapika’s constant, immediate assurance that he wasn’t cheating on him.

Honestly, Kurapika was at his breaking point.

“He was just being nice!” shouted Kurapika.

“No, he wasn’t!” Leorio argued back. His arms were at his side, hands balled into fists, teeth clenched. “He was flirting with you! You’re _my boyfriend_ , you’re supposed to say that when people flirt with you!”

Kurapika briefly wondered how many times he was going to roll his eyes tonight. “You’re being impossible! Do you even know what flirting looks like?!”

“Well, if you like him so much, why don’t you just go fuck him instead, then?!” 

Those words stabbed Kurapika in the heart - how dare this brainless man even insinuate something like that. There was jealousy, then there was just being crazy and manipulative. Kurapika would never cheat on Leorio, and he wasn’t being a bad person just for talking to someone else… that hurtful sentence rung in his ears and tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

If he was going to swing low, then Kurapika would hit him where it hurt, too.

“You always turn it into something like that! If you’re just going to be insecure and paranoid all the time, then why don’t we just break up? Let’s just end things now!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Leorio’s eyes widened. He seemed fearful. He knew that Kurapika wasn’t like him, always making empty threats just to hurt or scare someone - whenever Kurapika said he was going to do something, he meant it, or at the very least intended to do so. The threat left Leorio shook to his core.

“...you don’t mean that.”

Leorio’s eyes were still wide, full of panic and horror. He knew he went too far, and if he was as crazy for Kurapika as he acted, then he should know to back down.

Without a word, Kurapika turned around and marched straight into their bedroom. He slammed the door shut, locking it behind him. He threw himself on the bed as he heard footsteps approach, and try the doorknob, shaking it in vain.

“Kurapika, I know you don’t mean that!” came Leorio’s voice. The doorknob shook once, twice, three more times before a harsh bang sounded - presumably, Leorio hitting the door as hard as he could. A few beats passed before Kurapika heard footsteps walking away.

Sighing, Kurapika pressed his head into a pillow and tried not to sob.

* * *

When the morning came, Kurapika felt horrible.

No matter how annoyed he got with his idiotic boyfriend, Kurapika could never stay mad at him. He always felt terrible for the things he said when he got too heated up, and he knew that Leorio did, too. They could hardly ever meet each other’s eyes, or exchange words, or even spend the earliness together.

Mornings after arguments were always awkward. Those kinds of mornings happened all too often.

This time, however, was different. Kurapika walked into the kitchen, fully dressed and full of regret, to see his boyfriend happily humming some unknown tune, and scooping scrambled eggs out of a pan and onto a plate. At the sight of his partner, Leorio smiled.

“Good morning!” he greeted brightly.

“Good morning,” replied Kurapika, not as enthusiastic. He slid onto their small, beat-up couch, curling in on himself. Seeing Leorio in a good mood just made him feel worse.

“I feel bad for what I said last night,” he went on as Leorio cleaned up the kitchen a bit, putting bottles away in the cabinet. “I didn’t mean it. I don’t want to break up or anything… I just got angry. Sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry,” said Leorio as he picked up the plate, a fork, and a glass of water, making his way over to the couch. “I was the one out of line. What I said was wrong, and I promise you that I don’t think about you like that. I know I don’t deserve it, but I hope you can forgive me.” He held out the plate, and Kurapika took it. “I also hope I can bribe you with breakfast.”

The plate was simple - scrambled eggs with cheese and green onion, a favorite of Kurapika’s. He smiled upon seeing the red ketchup heart messily made on top.

“You can. It looks great.” He picked up the fork, and took a bite of the food. It was delicious, as Leorio seemed to be a natural cook, and instantly brightened his mood.

Leorio seemed to beam ever more vividly at his boyfriend eating, and he placed the cup of water on their coffee table. “Well, I’m glad we settled this before work. I’m sure the big office gossip is going to be us today.” He stood up from his spot, and began to walk to the door while saying, “And I’ll tell them it ended on a good note so that I don’t have to stand there and hear them tell _me_ how to run _our_ relationship.”

“Aren’t you going to eat?” asked Kurapika.

“I already did,” he replied, picking through their masks to find one that matched his outfit. “Don’t worry about me, though - don’t you have class in ten minutes?”

Kurapika snapped his head to the wall clock, eyes widening at seeing it read 6:20. He carefully placed his plate on the coffee table, and ran to the kitchen, picking his laptop off of the counter.

“Damn it. Thanks for reminding me, babe.” He quickly made his way over to the door, smiling up at his boyfriend. “I’m glad I have you with me.”

The two shared a quick goodbye kiss. When they parted, Leorio pointed to the couch.

“Alright, go to school. And finish your food, I know how you are.”

Playfully rolling his eyes, Kurapika waved goodbye, watching his boyfriend walk outside.

* * *

He didn’t know what happened between the morning and the afternoon, but Kurapika felt even worse than he had upon waking up.

It was nearing the end of his third and final class of the day, and Kurapika was glad for it. He had a migraine that hurt so bad, it felt like his skull was splitting open. He could hardly stare at his bright laptop screen, or even open his phone long enough to search up symptoms. He only had sufficient strength to grab some aspirin from the kitchen cabinet and down it with a glass of water. Upon returning to the couch, he forced himself to open his phone and text his own personal doctor.

_head hurts. feels like i’m dying._

Leorio’s response was quick.

_take some aspirin and lay down on the couch. i’ll be home soon to check you out._

Having done the first part, Kurapika left his lecture on as he laid back on the couch. After a few minutes, the droning of his professor calmed his nerves down enough to allow him to fall asleep.

* * *

It felt like only seconds before Leorio was gently nudging Kurapika awake.

As soon as his eyes opened, the splitting pain returned, and Kurapika hissed with his hands coming up to rub at his temples. Leorio, knelt by the side of the couch, appeared as calm as his schooling required him to be in situations like this, and he almost robotically began to ask his boyfriend questions.

“How are you feeling?”

Kurapika groaned, leaning his head back against the pillow, trying to sink deeper into it. “Awful. I don’t know what’s happening, I just feel bad.”

The doctor nodded in response. “Is it just your head, or anywhere else?”

“Just my head. Ugh, I don’t know. I can’t think.”

“Alright, honey, just relax.” The warmth in Leorio’s voice returned, and he softly stroked Kurapika’s hair. Kurapika leaned into the soft touch. He was glad that someone kind like Leorio was there to take care of him. “Can you walk?”

“I don’t know…”

“No problem. Just one second…”

Gently, Leorio scooped Kurapika in his arms, and held him close to his chest. Bridal style, he carried his small boyfriend down the hall and into their bedroom, tenderly placing him on one side of their bed. He pulled the covers over him, and knelt by his side once more, hand back to stroking his hair.

“I’m going to try my hardest to make you feel better, but I can’t promise it’ll go quick,” Leorio said quietly, as if trying not to set off the migraine. “All I can do is treat you, and it’ll go away on its own. For now, how about some hot soup?”

Kurapika blinked up at him. “Soup?”

“Yeah. I think we got, like, chicken noodle in a can, but I’ll season it and make it taste nice. Sound good?”

Slowly, Kurapika nodded. Smiling, Leorio leaned forward to place a kiss on his partner’s head, then stood back up, leaving the room. He softly closed the door behind him.

Alone, Kurapika attempted to figure out the cause of his sudden illness. No one at the recent party seemed sick, and most of them still had their masks on anyway, and even more didn’t even bother to interact with Kurapika. The chatterbox wasn’t sick, either. Kurapika didn’t touch the food, and most of the things he ate were made at home by him or Leorio. Unless he had developed a sudden allergy to eggs, there was no possible way he had gotten sick from someone else.

Maybe he had too much strain on his eyes from using his laptop and phone too frequently, and it cause the pain in his skull? But would that be so intense? It was a dull ache that never went away. It felt like he smashed his head against the wall, and was slowly suffering the consequences.

After a few more moments of staring at a wall and contemplating his life, Kurapika turned to see Leorio enter the room again, this time with a bowl of soup. He moved to sit up, but a sharp pain rode through his entire body, making him hiss.

“Easy, easy, honey,” cooed Leorio. When Kurapika was situated, Leorio handed over the warm bowl, and sat on the bed beside him.

The doctor offered a smile. “I know it’s not much, but it’ll make you feel better, believe me. I’m sure this’ll pass in a day or two.”

Kurapika slowly spooned some broth into his mouth, and nodded. “Mm. Thank you, babe. I’m sorry to be bothering you like this.”

“No, don’t say that!” Leorio placed a large hand on Kurapika’s thigh, instantly warming his heart. “I love taking care of you. Who else could you rely on at this moment, anyway? I’m the best person for you!”

With a soft laugh, Kurapika continued to eat his warm meal as Leorio pulled out his phone, searching something up.

“You probably just have the common cold,” said Leorio gently, looking down at his phone with an expressionless face. “You don’t need any medicine or anything, just rest and plenty of fluids. You’ll have to stay in here and let me take care of you, okay?”

Kurapika shook his head. “You have work, and I have school.”

“I’m an intern, it’s technically not work. I’m not in any important wards this week anyway. You’re also in online school, that’s not real school, either. We’ll be fine for just a day.”

“But--”

Upon seeing his boyfriend’s serious face, Kurapika stopped his complaint early. While Kurapika was normally the one who made the decisions, when it came to things like health, he had to admit that this was the one thing Leorio knew more about. Even though it sounded irresponsible, he was in a lot of pain and didn’t really feel like going to school the next day, and any excuse to be taken care of in this sort of situation sounded really, really nice. The soft hand Leorio began rubbing in small circles on Kurapika’s thigh was even better.

“Your health comes first, honey,” Leorio continued. “I don’t care what happens, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Fine.” Not wanting to get caught being soft, Kurapika tried his best to glare at the bowl. “But I’m not going to be happy about it.”

Leorio chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from you.”

* * *

Over the next few days, Kurapika only felt worse.

He writhed in pain day and night, his pounding head everlasting. After the first day, his shoulders began to ache, then his leg muscles cramped for what felt like hours, then he couldn’t grip anything, then he felt as if he couldn’t get any air in his lungs. His body ran hot. Sweat stuck his hair to his forehead. His vision began to grow foggy, and a black vignette frayed at the edges. He was certain it wasn’t a common cold, and said so to Leorio several times, but he only smiled and told Kurapika that he knew what he was doing.

Kurapika wasn’t sure how many days had gone by as he was unconscious for most of it, but it felt as though Leorio had been there for him throughout all of them. Whenever he woke up, Leorio was instantly at his side, with medicine to take or water to drink or food to eat. As Kurapika’s condition worsened, Leorio even helped him drink, and fed him his meals. Kurapika felt shameful of his state, and apologized several times for bothering his boyfriend, but Leorio always grinned and reassured him that he didn’t mind Kurapika needing to depend on him.

Honestly, Kurapika didn’t know how he would’ve gotten through this sickness without his boyfriend. He knew he couldn’t get up and fix his own meals or find his own medication, and he was eternally grateful that Leorio was more than happy to do that himself, as well as keep up with his work life.

Wait… _did_ Leorio go back to work?

Kurapika wasn’t sure, actually. He didn’t know what was really going on anymore. If he asked, Leorio told him not to worry, so he didn’t. He felt absolutely _terrible_ , and Leorio said he didn’t need the stress and should focus on getting better instead, so he listened.

He assumed that his boyfriend went back to work - it had to have been at least a week since Kurapika had gotten sick, and they needed to pay their rent. Although, Kurapika was the one that handled paying all the bills… but Leorio said not to worry, he would do all that until Kurapika felt better.

In Leorio’s own words, all Kurapika had to do was sit back and let him take care of everything. He didn’t even have to think about anything except getting better.

Kurapika appreciated him more than he ever had before.

And when his boyfriend softly opened the bedroom door to check on him, Kurapika tried his best to offer a soft smile, even though his body was screaming.

“Hi, honey,” Leorio greeted gently, careful not to be too loud. He made his way into the room, kneeling beside the bed. His hand reached up to feel Kurapika’s forehead. “Are you feeling any better today?”

“Mm… a bit.” Kurapika didn’t even bother hiding how comforting his boyfriend’s touch was - he let his eyes fall shut, and breathed a little easier. “I think I’ll be up again in a day or two. My breathing is getting better, I can feel it.”

Leorio smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Your forehead is also not as bad as yesterday… you might actually be beating this thing.”

The doctor pushed himself back up, and started to head out of the room.

“I know you’re getting sick of it, but how about some chicken noodle? I also have rice ready, so I can add it in, if you feel up to it.”

Kurapika perked up. “Rice? Yeah, get me some of that shit!”

With a laugh, Leorio softly closed the door, and Kurapika listened to him softly step away.

He was so lucky to have such a good boyfriend.

* * *

Leorio knew he was lucky to have such an amazing boyfriend.

People like Kurapika didn’t just waltz into your life every single day. Someone _soft_ and _gentle_ , but wouldn’t let people walk all over them; someone who did the right thing, even when the right thing meant doing something wrong; someone who loved, _loved_ with their whole heart and soul, and would die to keep you safe and happy.

Leorio was so lucky to have him, someone _beautiful_ in both body and mind, someone _fierce_ and _confident_ and _adorable_. They had beautiful memories together, and while they argued a lot, people said it was like a married couple - _a married couple_! How incredible that sounded, to be tied to his gorgeous boyfriend forever, to be bonded in both life and death, never to be separated.

Leorio was so lucky to have him, especially because he himself was so very selfish.

He knew what he was like. He was jealous, but how could he not be? Anyone else could see plain as day how _breathtaking_ his boyfriend was. What if Kurapika realized that Leorio wasn’t as _sublime_ and _perfect_ as he was? He would walk out on him - he would! And where would Leorio be then?! His life was so dull and boring before. He was dingy and everything around him felt grey, right before he met Kurapika. His boyfriend made everything seem bright and sunny and worth it, and he couldn’t go back to what life was like before. _He wouldn’t_.

He didn’t ever want to let go of his personal piece of sunshine.

He had been jealous of anyone coming close to him for months. He knew what he was like. He wasn’t as interesting or smart or talented or really much of anything compared to anyone else. He was awkward, and lanky, and not the most handsome person in the world. Leorio knew that there were people in this world that were more than him in every single way, Kurapika included. He worried every single day that Kurapika would find someone closer to him in terms of perfection, and leave. This worry turned itself to obsession, and he always had that anxiety living in the back of his mind, constantly reminding himself that Kurapika can and would leave him for someone he deserved.

When Kurapika threatened to break up with him after the party, it sent Leorio into a panic. It was the first time Kurapika had ever said something like it, and Leorio knew that Kurapika always made good on his word, so he obsessed over his words the entire night. He couldn’t sleep easy with the warning of being alone fresh in his mind. Tossing and turning on the couch, the worry that he was going to be pushed back into that lonely, disgusting grey world drove him crazy.

So, he decided to ensure that the two would never be apart.

Now, he wasn’t intending on killing him, or even keeping him sick forever. He would probably let up in a week or two, but keep him sick just long enough to make sure this sticks in his memories forever. From this point on, whenever Kurapika thought about leaving him, he was sure to remember the sacrifices Leorio made to keep him healthy and alive, and think of how lucky he was to have such an amazing boyfriend.

As Leorio stirred the freshly warmed soup in with rice, he smiled. He set the bowl aside, and opened the cabinets above him. He pushed aside the clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and other spices to grab at a few bottles he had hidden right in the back. He set all four down on the counter, taking two or three of each, and dropping them in a small sandwich bag.

He took a spoon, and began to crush the sandy pills into a fine dust. Over-the-counter painkillers, sleeping pills, and blood pressure stabilizers filled the small plastic. Once finished, Leorio opened it, and poured the contents into the soup, and quickly stirred it together.

The medicine wasn’t strong enough to kill his boyfriend - at the very least, he didn’t think so. He didn’t even put this special ingredient into every meal, so it was fine. He had to do everything he could to keep Kurapika close to him, so it was worth it.

He couldn’t imagine living without him. _It was worth all the pain his cute little boyfriend was in_.

Still smiling, Leorio finished mixing the new concoction, and made his way back to the bedroom. As much as he enjoyed having Kurapika depend on him, he knew he had to get him back to health soon, unless he wanted him to grow suspicious.

Although, he was so cute just lying in bed and listening to everything he said…

Well… depending on how his health was after survivng this week, Leorio might just keep him sick for a little bit longer. For now, though, Leorio loved how Kurapika looked to him for comfort and protection in such a scary and unknown situation.

He loved Kurapika, and no one was going to take him away.

Not even Kurapika himself.

**Author's Note:**

> _come follow me on twitter i love talking about anime and wasting the best years of my life on it ; @bubaiguwura_


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